Three, Specialties!

Merlin had a dream where he transformed into a lynx, one that had recently been weaned. Under the guidance of a large lynx, he learned survival and hunting skills in the mountains.

Suddenly, a group of human hunters appeared and shot the adult lynx dead. He tried desperately to escape, feigning death, roaring, but ultimately couldn't get away. He was caged in a small iron enclosure and taken into human society, eventually sold to a man.

From then on, he was fed six meals a day, often whipped for the slightest infraction. He struggled, roared, and was eventually tamed. But one night, after a sudden explosion, a human cub burst before him.

Not long after.

He was beaten unconscious.

"Merlin? What's wrong?"

Yol looked at Merlin, whose body had been trembling since earlier but had now calmed down. Seeing him sweating profusely, head lowered and unmoving, she gently touched his shoulder with concern.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

A gentle voice reached his ears. Merlin's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened a slit. A fierce divine light erupted from his pupils, but it quickly subsided, and his eyes regained their clarity.

"Merlin..." Yol called out, still worried. Merlin raised a hand to stop her, then pinched the bridge of his nose with his right hand, the unfamiliar lynx memories swirling in his mind.

"I'm fine. I just dozed off and had a nightmare," he replied, his voice hoarse. Yol paused, then gracefully got up and knelt behind Merlin. She placed her thumbs under his jaw and gently massaged his temples.

Merlin felt a bit uncomfortable and was about to pull away.

"Don't move," Yol said, her voice soft but firm.

At the same time, her touch became even gentler.

Lami, mimicking Yol, half-knelt and then stood up. She pulled at her right sleeve with her left hand, clenched the cuff with her right, and wiped the sweat from Merlin's forehead. Seeing Merlin roll his eyes at her, Lami giggled and imitated:

"Don't move, Lami is taking care of Brother Merlin!"

Merlin looked at her with a helpless expression. At this moment, Yol sat down on the ground, and Merlin was naturally pulled into her embrace, his head resting on something soft.

Yol looked at Merlin in her arms, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. She continued her massage gently, her chin resting on top of Merlin's head, and whispered:

"Do you feel any better now?"

This damned gentleness!

Merlin thought helplessly. He was very familiar with this feeling. "It feels like you used to massage my head like this when I had headaches as a child."

Yol's movements paused for a moment, then she nodded gently. Feeling the pressure of her chin on his head, Merlin sighed:

"Time flies so fast."

"By the way, Merlin, you have the ability to control Calamity. So, your headaches should be cured by now, right?"

Yol's eyes were full of anticipation.

Merlin hummed and said softly, "They are cured. This wasn't a headache this time, it was for another reason. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."

Hearing this, Yol relaxed as well, letting out a sigh of relief. Feeling the warmth on top of her head, Merlin slowly closed his eyes again.

After wiping the sweat, Lami sat beside Merlin, hugging her knees, her chin resting on her shins. She tilted her head, staring intently at Merlin's face:

"Your eyelashes are so long, longer than mine, and your skin is so good!"

Yol playfully glared at Lami.

"Go on, get some sleep. You need a good nap, you have swordsmanship practice this afternoon!"

Lami chuckled and puffed out her cheeks, shaking her head like a rattle. "No! I have so much energy right now. It's all thanks to Brother Merlin, you took away all my fatigue!"

Merlin's eyelids twitched, and he chuckled playfully, scolding her:

"Oh, you ungrateful thing. Fine, I'll only help you when you get home at night from now on, and I'll let you experience the soreness in your body during the day!"

Lami let out a gasp, her expression freezing. She looked at Merlin in surprise:

"You weren't asleep? Brother Merlin, how could you eavesdrop on us?"

Merlin ignored her, relaxing his body and leaning against Yol. Yol sighed:

"Sigh! You two! I don't know what to say!"

Even with his eyes closed, the equipment slots still appeared in his vision. At this moment, Merlin felt a surge of excitement.

He looked at the equipment [Lynx], its Synchronization Value already at [25%].

The screen in the equipment slot changed:

Name: [Laplace.Merlin]

Skills & Proficiencies: [Beginner Level Lynx Body Tempering Technique, Beginner Level Swordsmanship, Beginner Level Lynx Contemplation Technique]

Specialty: [Lightning Reflexes]

"Could it be that only when the Synchronization Value with the equipment reaches 25% is there a chance to obtain the creature's special skill?"

He looked at his first newly acquired special skill on the equipment slot:

[Lightning Reflexes]: You were born to stand at the top of the food chain. Your body possesses a keen sensory system and an efficient neural transmission mechanism, allowing you to react quickly and coordinate yourself with precision.

Looking at this specialty of his, even though Merlin wasn't exercising, he could clearly sense that he had already become different from before.

Although equipping the [Lynx] would grant him the various biological traits of a lynx, Merlin knew that it was only temporary. Once he unequipped it, the buff would naturally disappear.

But now, a sense of fullness, from the inside out, was coursing through his body.

It was no longer like the previous feeling of separation, of being half-real and half-illusory, but a tangible, much clearer sense of being.

His talent had undergone a transformation.

At this moment, while carefully experiencing the changes in his body, he once again looked at the other two skill specialties he had acquired in recent days through arduous cultivation.

[Beginner Level Swordsmanship]: Your life experiences from your past life allow you to distinguish weapons like swords. You are a beginner in swordsmanship and no longer wield a sword like a layman swinging a fire poker to attack enemies. In this field, you have already begun.

[Beginner Level Lynx Contemplation Technique]: Thanks to the residual blessings of your past life and your synchronization experience with the [Lynx], you have mastered how to visualize in your consciousness. You use visualization to contemplate the existence of the lynx species, thereby tempering your own mental will.

A few days ago, after learning basic swordsmanship, during a tireless practice session, the swordsmanship specialty appeared in his equipment slot. Due to his understanding, Beginner Level Swordsmanship naturally transformed into Swordsmanship.

Merlin didn't overthink it.

The Lynx Contemplation Technique in his equipment slot was the same. After that incident a week ago, he had naturally learned it.

At this moment, Merlin looked at the four specialties in his equipment slot, a sense of joy welling up in his heart:

"It feels so good to be able to get stronger."

This feeling was addictive.

As he diligently cultivated, pushing the limits of his body and mind, and each time he absorbed the accumulated Calamity within him, he could sense that the next breakthrough was becoming harder to reach.

This all proved...

That he was truly becoming stronger.

Moreover, sparring with Yol was the best way to verify this.

From being flung away by her sword at the beginning, to only feeling soreness in his arms later, and now, by using his body's agility and force dissipation, he could already suppress her.

Merlin even believed that with his current "Lightning Reflexes," he could definitely "toy with" her in battle.

Hm?

At this moment, Merlin, lost in thought, suddenly froze. Toy with? Why toy with? Why would I want to toy with her?

He suddenly felt something was off.

Soon, Merlin realized it was the "playful" nature of cats, like the lynx.

Was it because he was contemplating the lynx? Was it the influence of bestiality from contemplating this creature?

Or was it due to synchronizing with the lynx? The potential risks of the ever-increasing Synchronization Value?

This subtle negative mental influence caused the joy in Merlin's heart to recede slightly, making him feel a bit displeased.

His brows, visible on his face, began to furrow slightly.

At this moment, Lami looked at Merlin, tilted her head, reached out, and gently stroked his brow. Yol asked with some confusion:

"Lami, what's wrong with him?"

Lami stared at Merlin's brow and said directly, "His brows are furrowed. Is Brother Merlin thinking about something unhappy again?"

Yol pursed her lips and was about to make a move when Merlin opened his eyes and reached out to grasp Lami's right hand, which was plump and soft.

Merlin sat up, shook his head, and said:

"I'm fine, I'm alright. I was just thinking about some things related to cultivation. Don't worry."

Yol asked with confusion, "Then why don't we go ask Teacher Fiore's two children?"

During this past week, since Fiore hadn't appeared, Yol hadn't mentioned looking for him. Instead, she brought up his two children, whom Fiore had praised highly.

Merlin shook his head, "It's useless to look for them. I don't think they can help me solve this kind of cultivation problem."

"Oh? Is that so?"

However, at this moment, a playful, teasing voice suddenly came from the entrance outside the indoor training ground.

Hearing the light laughter, Merlin turned his head, and two tall figures appeared at the doorway.

"Heh heh! Junior Brother Merlin, I can't pretend I didn't hear that!"

The speaker was the purple-haired young man among the two. His smile was somewhat roguish, but there was no malice in him.

"Why don't you tell me first and see if I can resolve it for you? You shouldn't be so quick to judge. Who knows, maybe Senior Brother can really help you?"

As he spoke, Fulvio took off his shoes and walked over with his sister, Teresa, beside him.

Merlin stood up, his eyes narrowing as he sized him up. As Fulvio approached, a sharp yet gentle aura, honed through countless battles, washed over him.

Arriving in front of Merlin, Fulvio extended his right hand and smiled:

"Let's get acquainted. I am Fulvio, your senior brother. And you?

Merlin? Or the criminal wanted by the four nations, Laplace Merlin?"